关键词: 植物绿叶标本, 原色浸渍, 聚乙二醇塑化, 低温冻干

Abstract: Green plant leaves specimens are important materials for research and teaching in botanical, agronomy, and forestry. However, the green plant leaf specimens prepared by conventional drying methods are prone to problems such as discoloration, damage, and poor long-term preservation. In order to establish an effective long-term preservation method for green plant leaf specimens, the primary-color infusion technique were combined with the polyethylene glycol plasticization technique, and the fixative solution ratio and production process were optimized. In this study, the leaves of maize (Zea mays) and Chinese rose (Rosa chinensis) were used as materials, which were subjected to a series of steps including primary-color immersion, plasticization, and low-temperature freeze-drying. The results showed that the plant green leaves were firstly immersed in a saturated copper sulfate solution containing 0.05% acetic acid for 5-6 min, followed by gradient plasticization with PEG 600 and low-temperature freeze-drying. The plant green leavf specimens using this method are easy to observe, less prone to damage, delicate and beautiful, which can maintain both the external morphology and the color characteristics of plant green leaves to achieve long-term preservation without fading. This study provides a new preservation method for green plant leaves specimens, which were used in botanical, ecological, and agronomy-related experimental courses or instructional activities–such as plant field techniques, agricultural entomology, plant pathology, and weed science.

Key words: green plant leaf specimens, primary-color immersion, polyethylene glycol plasticization, low-temperature freeze-drying